Tag: gratitude

The New Reality – Gratefulness

I haven’t been to work for 11 days. Tomorrow, I will get up at 5 a.m., roll on over there and see what is happening. I am a surgical nurse, and all of our elective cases are on hold for now. Only something seen as “emergent” will be dealt with. I have learned a lot in the past 11 days, and here is some of it:

  • I have found my natural sleep schedule….9.5 hours. Yep. Exactly. Every night.
  • I have acknowledged that I really am a true introvert. I really don’t miss going out.
  • I have found that exercise and meditation do more for me than watching videos about IT.
  • I have accepted that I place a lot of faith in unseen forces that might help us all.
  • But, most of all, I have been practicing gratefulness almost without ceasing.

It is essential that I practice gratefulness right now, because I am so fortunate. I have a person that loves me, a safe home, enough food, and yes…even toilet paper (I’m not telling, it’s a secret).

Yes, I have lost much, much, much of my investment for the future. I am losing time at work, and I desperately wish I could be in the same room as my extended family. But, hey, they’re doing okay too. And so…I am grateful.

I feel like mother nature is shaking the cage right now. “Wake up you idiots!” Time to take a break, and be introspective. It’s time to take care of ourselves, and others, and this Earth. It’s as if we’ve been running amok like a crazy cartoon animal, and she is grabbing us and slapping us across the face. “Stop it!”

I get it. I get that these things happen every once in awhile. Some of us just happen to be living through this one. All is not lost, we are not done. Just breathe, take some time to reflect on what is truly important, and start living that way from now on. Just maybe in retrospect, we will see we really needed this. It’s going to hurt while we’re in it, but just like the sting from a face slap, it will eventually heal.

I have to tell you one more thing about gratefulness. It is magic. If you live in a state of gratefulness, there is no possibility of feeling fear, or anger. The wonderful part is, this magical state of being actually bestows great blessings on you. Try it…it worked for me.

My hope is that you are safe, and will take the necessary precautions to help slow this thing by staying inside when you can. We can do this, hang in there. Cheers, Deb

Why I gave up Anxiety

Anxiety seems to be a pervasive emotion nowadays. People are going to the emergency room in my state of Colorado at an ever increasing rate. Most of these mental conditions consist of depression and anxiety. I can’t say I have given up feeling depressed once in a while. After all, negative stuff happens to everyone, and I have had my fair share. I do manage to blow it off pretty well though.

Anxiety, by definition is: “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome” (Oxford dictionary)

Number one: I am getting into my mid-50s and have discovered that I thoroughly enjoy the feeling of ease and peace that comes with a certain age. Maybe I just don’t worry about stuff because it’s a little late to start now.

Number two: There are simple techniques to handle minor nervousness. Stop drinking caffeine, learn deep breathing exercises, talk to a friend for perspective, meditate…

Number three: “an uncertain outcome”… hmmm. Isn’t every event in life uncertain? Can we have utmost certainty that ANYTHING is positively going to happen? I have to argue NO on that one. If I spent time worrying about uncertain outcomes, I could worry all day, because every event is, by nature, uncertain.

Number four: This is the weird one. I have discovered that I have a type of apathy (but not exactly) about things in general. I want to explain this one. I don’t have the attitude that I just don’t care, because I do care. As a matter of fact, I care about things more now than ever. I care about my family, my health, my relationship, and my job. I care about the planet, and it’s future. I do care.

The difference now is that I have acknowledged the limits of my effectiveness in changing much of those things. I may love as much as I can, and still have a poor relationship event. I can recycle and spread knowledge about the environment, but have a very low impact on stopping it. I can work extra hours to make more money, but until I find a position I like better, I will remain there.

I guess you have to say that I have developed more faith that things will work out. We are living on this earth a very short time, and what will be, will be. I am here to experience things and learn from them. I am not here to drive myself crazy about the limitations I have.

Tragic stuff happens at unexpected times. I am not going to think about those things, because I truly believe that when you dwell on certain things, you attract those things. That is why I wake up and say, “I’m tired, but going to work. I really don’t have to do anything else today that is life-threatening if I don’t do it, so, might as well make some money.”

I wake up with gratitude that I can still physically and mentally function. I thank the Universe, God, the all-encompassing consciousness, or whatever you want to call it, that I have the things I do. Dwelling on what you DO have attracts good stuff. Dwelling on things you DON’T have attracts bad stuff. That’s it. No anxiety.

My hope for anyone that reads this, is that you can identify with a feeling of ease; that you can wake up with gratitude and stop the negative inner voice. Be your own coach and best friend. Tell yourself that everything will be okay – because it will.

Have a wonderful, peaceful weekend. Cheers, Deb